Daejeon Teachers Report Fourfold Increase in 'Teacher Rights Violations' Including Malicious Complaints Over the Past Two Years

The number of teachers in the Daejeon area complaining of violations of their teaching rights, such as malicious complaints from parents and verbal abuse from students, is increasing. Recently, following a teacher who took an extreme step due to such violations, it seems that teachers who had been silently suffering are now openly revealing their experiences of harm.

According to the Daejeon Metropolitan Office of Education's Edu Healing Center on the 15th, a total of 264 counseling requests related to violations of teaching rights were received from local teachers between January and August this year. The main reasons for seeking counseling were excessive demands or verbal abuse from parents and verbal abuse from students during the teaching process.

In particular, considering that similar types of counseling requests numbered 55 in 2021 and 92 in 2022, this year’s figure represents more than a fourfold increase in counseling cases over the past two years.

Notably, the number of counseling requests related to teaching rights violations in the region surged by 123 cases in a short period from 141 cases in January to June to a total of 264 cases in August (July to August). This is a sharp increase compared to 24 cases in the first half of last year.

It may be difficult to simply compare these figures with those of 2021 and 2022, as the COVID-19 pandemic caused a mix of face-to-face and remote classes during those years.

However, experts point out that the recent surge in counseling cases related to teaching rights violations should not be interpreted merely as numbers but should be viewed in connection with the increasing mental distress teachers must endure in the field, highlighting the seriousness of the problem.

An elder in the local education community (a former principal) said, “I was surprised by the sharp increase in counseling cases related to teaching rights violations and deeply felt the seriousness of the issue,” adding, “The increase in teachers seeking counseling means that the discomfort and mental suffering teachers feel in the field have grown accordingly.”

He also advised, “The education sector should not reduce the increase in counseling cases to mere statistics but should use it as an opportunity to heal the wounded hearts of teachers. Nowadays, the phrase ‘fallen teaching rights’ is no longer surprising, so it is urgent to establish fundamental safety measures (system improvements) that help teachers maintain their sense of mission and focus on their core educational duties.”

There is also a view that the recent increase in counseling related to teaching rights violations was influenced by the fact that a teacher in the region who suffered such violations took an extreme step. In the closed atmosphere of the educational field, teachers who were previously reluctant to seek counseling even privately are now actively trying to disclose their experiences of harm.

A teacher at a local elementary school said, “Teachers are filled with mixed feelings of outrage, emptiness, and sadness over the tragic news heard inside and outside the region,” adding, “The ‘rewarding feeling’ in teaching work, which should be carried out with a sense of mission, has disappeared, and nowadays, the ‘defense mechanism’ to protect oneself is becoming stronger.”

He continued, “The increase in counseling requests from teachers is not simply a cry of ‘I am struggling,’ but partly reflects the idea that they need to leave a trace externally that they have suffered such harm,” expressing frustration. “Until now, teachers tried to endure and persevere, but after the teacher’s extreme step, they now think they must protect themselves and are more actively seeking help externally than before.”

Meanwhile, the Edu Healing Center also provides legal counseling related to teaching rights violations for local teachers. This year, a total of 168 legal counseling sessions were conducted up to August, of which 33 cases received actual legal support linked with the legal support team.

However, it is reported that the teacher who recently took an extreme step due to teaching rights violations in the region did not apply for related counseling.